Global Clothing B2B 2013 Report

The recent "Global Clothing B2C E-Commerce Report 2013 provides information about online purchase of clothing. One of the findings of the researchers of this report is that this is the number one product purchased in B2C E-Commerce worldwide. The Internet has become an important tool for browsing or researching clothing products, whether the purchase is eventually made online or in a store. According to the report, over one-third of Internet users worldwide made or intended to make a purchase from this product category in 2013. The report details the trends in sales globally, by region, and country by country.

Online clothing and apparel shopping popular in Europe

Across Europe, clothing B2C E-Commerce is booming. In the EU, the share of individuals purchasing clothes and sports goods online increased in 2012, reaching over 20% of individuals. In Germany, apparel is the largest B2C E-Commerce category, having grown by just under a third in terms of sales and reaching several EUR billions of sales. Among the leading players on the market, the Otto Group plans to launch a new E-Commerce fashion project named Collins in 2014, while Zalando more than doubled its B2C E-Commerce clothing sales in 2012. Close to a half of the adult population shops online for clothing. Asos and Debenhams were among the most prominent online shops for fashion products in the UK in early 2013. In France, nearly a half of Internet users shopped for clothing online in 2012, with La Redoute and 3 Suisses being the most popular destinations for shopping.

The clothing and apparel sector is expanding in Eastern Europe as well.

In Russia, B2C E-Commerce sales of clothing and shoes grew by over +40% in 2012, and accounted for almost one fifth of total B2C E-Commerce sales. Clothing, shoes and accessories became the most popular online product category in 2012, with nearly half of online shoppers making purchases. Online clothing retailers in Russia have seen significant increase in revenues, some growing by up to 6 times, with Wildberries, Lamoda, Quelle and KupiVip as leading online merchants. Several players, such as KupiVip and Lamoda, attracted large investments from local venture capitalists and from abroad. Clothing and shoes is the leading B2C E-Commerce category in Poland, with a high double-digit percentage of online shoppers making purchases. The number of online shops selling clothes in Poland grows rapidly every year. In Estonia, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey and some other European countries, clothing was bought by a high percentage of online shoppers, and was one of the most popular online product categories in these countries.